Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Superior court justice dismisses challenges to KED bylaws:
Superior Court Justice Gregory Ellies ruled to dismiss Tom Fortin’s application to quash four bylaws linked to the Kingsway Entertainment District. In his decision that was released online on Sept. 10, Ellies stated that there was no evidence that the decision of city council was based on anything other than public interest. Fortin’s application against the city was filed under the Municipal Act, with the intention of quashing four bylaws adopted by the City of Greater Sudbury under the Planning Act. Fortin’s application to have the bylaws quashed was based on three pillars, all of which were rejected by Ellies in his 36-page decision. The three anchors of Fortin’s submission were that the bylaws were passed following a flawed process, that city council was biased in their decision and that city council acted in bad faith. Get the full story here.
Trudeau, Ford attend groundbreaking ceremony for Gogama mine:
With ground officially being broken for the Côté Gold Mine, IAMGOLD’s president and CEO Gordon Stothart believes it’s the start of a 30-year operation. IAMGOLD's Côté Gold Project is a joint venture with Sumitomo Metal Mining. In July it was announced approvals had been received to start construction at the Gogama-area site. At a construction staging area for the mine, Stothart, Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with other dignitaries, broke ground for the project today. Stothart expects construction to start in a couple of weeks. The open-pit mine will be serviced by a fleet of autonomous haul trucks and drills. During the construction period from 2020 to 2023, more than 1,300 jobs are anticipated. When the mine is operating, it will mean about 450 full-time jobs. Its current potential is 18 years. More on this story here.
Back-to-school FAQ: Are kids who can’t wear masks able to attend school in person?
The kids heading back to school amid COVID-19 this month has brought a lot of uncertainty for students and their families. Sudbury.com reached out to our readers for their back-to-school questions, and Sudbury.com has endeavoured to find some answers. Friday’s question: If children are not able to wear a mask to school, are they still being accepted for in-person learning? Answer: In short, yes they are. The provincial government’s Guide to Reopening Schools says students in grades 4 to 12 are required to wear non-medical or cloth masks indoors in school, including in hallways and during classes. A number of school boards in Ontario, including the Rainbow District School Board, has expanded this requirement to younger kids as well (the Rainbow board is allowing to kindergarteners to wear either masks or face shields). But the province’s guide also said that “reasonable exceptions on the requirement to wear masks will apply.” Full story here.
Sudbury COVID numbers highest in northeast, but more per population in Timmins:
Public health statistics at the six-month point of the COVID-19 pandemic reveal that Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) has the highest cumulative case count in Northeastern Ontario. If you look at the per population case count, however, Timmins was hit harder by the pandemic. The stats as of Sept. 9, published by Public Health Ontario, show PHSD as having 94 confirmed COVID-19 cases since reporting began on March 1, 2020. The report said this compares with 19 cases reported by the Timiskaming Health Unit, 29 cases reported by Algoma Health Unit, 35 cases reported by North Bay-Parry Sound district and 74 cases reported by the Porcupine Health Unit (note that Porcupine actually reported its 75th case Friday). When those numbers were compiled on a cumulative rate based on population, the Porcupine Health Unit topped the list at 88 cases per 100,000 population (this number is now slightly higher, given the new case just reported today). The Timiskaming Health Unit was rated 58 cases per 100,000; Sudbury was rated at 47 cases per 100,000, North Bay-Parry Sound was at 27 per 100,000 and the lowest rate was 25 cases per 100,000 population for the Algoma Health Unit. Find more here.
Pandemic six months in: COVID-19 has changed much about how health care is delivered and taught:
If someone told you six months ago that a coronavirus pandemic would change almost everything you do every day out of fear for your health and those you care about, you might have laughed at them. But now, as changes are really happening and Northerners are coping with the COVID-19 crisis, some key players in Northern Ontario's health care industry have said some of the changes might be here to stay. For medical students that could mean more virtual learning with online classrooms. For medical professionals, it could mean more virtual care and online consultations. At the six-month point in the pandemic, Village Media spoke with Dominic Giroux the president and CEO of Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury, Northern Ontario's largest hospital, and also with Ray Hunt, the Chief Operating Officer for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). Both offered comments looking back on the past six months since the pandemic was declared as well as looking forward to the next six months. On the health care front, Giroux said it was impossible to anticipate everything about a pandemic, but he said the hospital had protocols in place to give direction. Giroux gave credit to the Ministry of Health and Public Health Ontario for the early warning which he said came in January from Ontario's chief medical officer of health, outlining concerns being raised in China. It wasn't until March 11 that the World Health Organization formally declared the pandemic. Find the full story here.
FAO shows $6.7B in unallocated COVID-19 funds; Ford says cash flowing ‘quickly as possible’:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province is flowing COVID-19 funds as quickly as it can amid a report by the province’s Financial Accountability Office pointing to $6.7 billion in unallocated pandemic fighting funds. The Ontario NDP issued a news release on Sept. 10, stating that "Doug Ford is sitting on $6.7 billion in money he promised to use to fight COVID-19." "That money could be used to stop the spread of the virus — from ensuring kids are safer in schools to getting hospitals ready for a second wave — but Ford is choosing to horde it to help his bottom line, instead," said the news release from the NDP. When asked about the funds on Sept. 10 during a press conference in Sudbury, Ford said the province is flowing COVID-19 funds as quickly as it can, and that he had not yet seen the FAO report. "We're flowing it as quickly as possible and I'll be able to get the exact figures because as soon as we get it we start flowing the funds," said Ford. "I don't have the exact answer because I haven't seen that. I guess it came out this morning, but I've told each ministry as soon as you get those funds you start flowing it right to the people that need it most." “Our government is planning for this uncertain future with a historic level of prudence in order to respond to whatever challenges may come our way," said Christine Wood, a spokesperson for the office of the Premier in an email to Sudbury.com. "In its report, the FAO fails to mention that the $6.7 billion estimate in unallocated funds is meant to span the entire fiscal year and the Province is only in its second quarter. Our government remains committed to spending these funds as the need arises.
OPP rescue injured hiker from Killarney Provincial Park:
The Ontario Provincial Police were able to rescue an injured hiker from a remote area of Killarney Provincial Park Sept. 9. The Nipissing West OPP received a report about the injured hiker near Three Narrows Lake at 3:25 p.m. that day. The 59-year-old woman had suffered an ankle injury while hiking in a remote area of the park. With the assistance of an OPP helicopter, the hiker was located at 5:35 p.m. and rescued from the area. The patient was then transported to hospital by land ambulance.
